scholarly journals Uncharged Components of Single-Stranded DNA Modulate Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation With Cationic Linker Histone H1

Author(s):  
Masahiro Mimura ◽  
Shunsuke Tomita ◽  
Hiroka Sugai ◽  
Yoichi Shinkai ◽  
Sayaka Ishihara ◽  
...  

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of proteins and DNAs has been recognized as a fundamental mechanism for the formation of intracellular biomolecular condensates. Here, we show the role of the constituent DNA components, i.e., the phosphate groups, deoxyribose sugars, and nucleobases, in LLPS with a polycationic peptide, linker histone H1, a known key regulator of chromatin condensation. A comparison of the phase behavior of mixtures of H1 and single-stranded DNA-based oligomers in which one or more of the constituent moieties of DNA were removed demonstrated that not only the electrostatic interactions between the anionic phosphate groups of the oligomers and the cationic residues of H1, but also the interactions involving nucleobases and deoxyriboses (i) promoted the generation of spherical liquid droplets via LLPS as well as (ii) increased the density of DNA and decreased its fluidity within the droplets under low-salt conditions. Furthermore, we found the formation of non-spherical assemblies with both mobile and immobile fractions at relatively higher concentrations of H1 for all the oligomers. The roles of the DNA components that promote phase separation and modulate droplet characteristics revealed in this study will facilitate our understanding of the formation processes of the various biomolecular condensates containing nucleic acids, such as chromatin organization.

2021 ◽  
Vol 433 (2) ◽  
pp. 166731
Author(s):  
Yanxian Lin ◽  
Yann Fichou ◽  
Andrew P. Longhini ◽  
Luana C. Llanes ◽  
Pengyi Yin ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Yanting Xing ◽  
Aparna Nandakumar ◽  
Aleksandr Kakinen ◽  
Yunxiang Sun ◽  
Thomas P. Davis ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuki Murakami ◽  
Shinji Kajimoto ◽  
Daiki Shibata ◽  
Kunisato Kuroi ◽  
Fumihiko Fujii ◽  
...  

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) plays an important role in a variety of biological processes and is also associated with protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases. Quantification of LLPS is necessary to...


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Liu ◽  
Ying Xie ◽  
Jing Guo ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Jingjing Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractDevelopment of chemoresistance is the main reason for failure of clinical management of multiple myeloma (MM), but the genetic and epigenetic aberrations that interact to confer such chemoresistance remains unknown. In the present study, we find that high steroid receptor coactivator-3 (SRC-3) expression is correlated with relapse/refractory and poor outcomes in MM patients treated with bortezomib (BTZ)-based regimens. Furthermore, in immortalized cell lines, high SRC-3 enhances resistance to proteasome inhibitor (PI)-induced apoptosis. Overexpressed histone methyltransferase NSD2 in patients bearing a t(4;14) translocation or in BTZ-resistant MM cells coordinates elevated SRC-3 by enhancing its liquid–liquid phase separation to supranormally modify histone H3 lysine 36 dimethylation (H3K36me2) modifications on promoters of anti-apoptotic genes. Targeting SRC-3 or interference of its interactions with NSD2 using a newly developed inhibitor, SI-2, sensitizes BTZ treatment and overcomes drug resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our findings elucidate a previously unrecognized orchestration of SRC-3 and NSD2 in acquired drug resistance of MM and suggest that SI-2 may be efficacious for overcoming drug resistance in MM patients.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 2074
Author(s):  
Sara Tabandeh ◽  
Cristina Elisabeth Lemus ◽  
Lorraine Leon

Electrostatic interactions, and specifically π-interactions play a significant role in the liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins and formation of membraneless organelles/or biological condensates. Sequence patterning of peptides allows creating protein-like structures and controlling the chemistry and interactions of the mimetic molecules. A library of oppositely charged polypeptides was designed and synthesized to investigate the role of π-interactions on phase separation and secondary structures of polyelectrolyte complexes. Phenylalanine was chosen as the π-containing residue and was used together with lysine or glutamic acid in the design of positively or negatively charged sequences. The effect of charge density and also the substitution of fluorine on the phenylalanine ring, known to disrupt π-interactions, were investigated. Characterization analysis using MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy, H NMR, and circular dichroism (CD) confirmed the molecular structure and chiral pattern of peptide sequences. Despite an alternating sequence of chirality previously shown to promote liquid-liquid phase separation, complexes appeared as solid precipitates, suggesting strong interactions between the sequence pairs. The secondary structures of sequence pairs showed the formation of hydrogen-bonded structures with a β-sheet signal in FTIR spectroscopy. The presence of fluorine decreased hydrogen bonding due to its inhibitory effect on π-interactions. π-interactions resulted in enhanced stability of complexes against salt, and higher critical salt concentrations for complexes with more π-containing amino acids. Furthermore, UV-vis spectroscopy showed that sequences containing π-interactions and increased charge density encapsulated a small charged molecule with π-bonds with high efficiency. These findings highlight the interplay between ionic, hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, and π-interactions in polyelectrolyte complex formation and enhance our understanding of phase separation phenomena in protein-like structures.


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